The intruder
by Bow-ties-and-red-fedoras
Summary: Lady Penelope has invited Gordon to a party at the Creighton-Ward manor, but not all is as it seems, and when an uninvited guest arrives, it's up to them to stop them. (TAG 2015)


The first thing she saw was the flash of purple.

Swift and silent, so fast she wouldn't have noticed it if she'd looked away for even a fraction of a second. However, she'd been suspecting something was off from the start of the tedious party. Then there was the odd noise a few moments ago. Now she was watching attentively, and this was the last straw. She frowned discreetly at the sight, and politely excused herself from the party to follow the shadowy figure making its way through the empty hall. There was a familiar dirty violet tint to the mysterious silhouette, giving her an idea as to who it might be. She dropped her comm into her pocket and signalled to Gordon from the doorway, tilting her head towards the corridor. He nodded, somehow instantly understanding, and switched on his own comm under the table. She nodded back, an adventurous grin playing on her lips, and slipped away into the dim light of the setting sun.

She crept towards the figure, projecting enigmatic shadows through the devoid hallways. Echoes of her footsteps rippled through the hollow atmosphere as she peered into the semi-darkness. She watched keenly as the dimmed sunlight gave away the intruder's position to her vigilant gaze. Advancing further, she found she could clearly see that it was Havoc, alone for the moment. Her eyes scanned the room, and she inched cautiously closer. She started as she heard an intrusive ding of her comm, and froze. Havoc turned around lightning fast, staring into the dark. Penny stood stock-still against the wall, hardly daring to breathe, shielded by the shadows. After a few moments of strained silence, Havoc finally turned away, and Penny followed as she left.

Havoc slipped out of the door and into the sunset, unaware of Penny still watching and imitating her every move. A thud rang out as she ran over the gravel in the opposite direction. She was heading straight for Penny, who ducked behind a pillar, out of sight. Havoc bolted past in a silent whirlwind of amour, and Penny slowly reached into her pocket to call Gordon. Havoc crept towards FAB 1, as Penny knew she would. She'd connected the dots a long time ago; Havoc was here for the car, and Penny was never letting her get it.

She crept softly towards her, her glare fixed on Havoc. Seizing the chance, she caught hold of the door before Havoc could swing it shut. She jumped in the passenger seat, nearest to her, and grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. Havoc pulled away, grabbing hold of the steering wheel before Penny could stop her. Penny forced down her rising panic as they raced away with the door still wide open, away from the manor. The force tossed her and pushed her to the ground, and she clung to a seat, digging her nails into the material. Steadying herself to get up, she lurched forward, fighting against the magnetic pull of the wind. She lunged for the steering wheel as they swerved dangerously around a corner. She finally managed to take the wheel despite Havoc's attempt to pull her hands away. They turned around, going at a speed that was miles over the limit, and headed back. She fought to stay in control and stop Havoc from doing any more damage as they sped onwards.

"Penny? You okay?"

It was Gordon, whispering into his comm and trying to avoid anyone around him seeing he was doing it. He was back at the party, evidently at least as bored as she'd been. A boyish, mischievous grin played on his lips, hinting at his burning curiosity. He frowned when he saw Havoc scrambling for the wheel, trying to pry Penny's hands away, and as she dug her nails deep into her skin. Havoc would do just about anything to force her to let go. Penny smiled weakly at him and tightened her grip, her strong conviction unmistakable in her expression.

"Fine," she replied tersely, her voice restrained. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying out as Havoc twisted her arm painfully, trying to torture her into letting go. They swerved to one side of the road just as she managed to fend Havoc off, and they tore onward. Reaching out with one arm to shut the door, she added, "Well, for the moment, that is..."

She stopped short as Havoc slammed her foot down hard on the accelerator, sending them careening headlong into a wall. The impact made the whole car shudder dangerously and throw them backwards. It knocked them both out cold and caused a jagged crack in the crumbling stone as the car hit. Even worse, Havoc was the first to come to, and set to turning the car around with one foot holding down the unconscious Penny. She came around, and struggled in Havoc's grip to reach the brakes. Havoc ruthlessly dug the razor-sharp edge of her armour into Penny's skin, and she let out a cry of pain, but still she grappled for the wheel as they sped further and further away.

She escaped just in time, and shakily turned the car around, constantly battling Havoc's tightening grip and trying without success to avoid her kicking her off the seat until she was forced to let go. Her eyes widened as she realised they were heading straight for a sky-blue civilian car, and could only watch in horror as it drove unconcernedly along, oblivious to the utter turmoil unfolding just behind. Penny forced open the window with one hand, but her cry of warning was drowned out by the roar of the wind and the screech of the tires. She nudged Havoc enough to cause them to swerve out of the way, but to no avail. At the critical moment, Havoc turned them back towards the car, knowing the shields in FAB 1 would protect them if they crashed. Slamming one hand down on the horn to warm the driver, Penny fumbled for the wheel, and shouted into her comm as she regained control.

"Gordon, it's me. I-"

She was cut off once again by Havoc trying to reach the brakes. She continued, a note of desperation creeping into her voice.

"You- need to call the GDF- or just- _someone_-"

She'd hardly got the words out when Havoc tugged hard at the collar of Lady Penelope's jet-black jacket in a desperate attempt to subdue her. Penny took one hand off the wheel to pry havoc's hands from the material, but it was no use; Havoc's iron grip seemed almost unbreakable now. Penny gasped, running out of air as Havoc wrestled for the wheel. She thumped her foot down on the break as she saw the manor dead ahead. She broke with a screech at the entrance, the car jolting violently, and tightened her grip on the wheel to stop Havoc from stealing the car. Gordon was still watching on the comm, and evidently running towards her.

"Penny!" his cry of alarm rang in her ears as she choked, suffocating. With one final, perilous move, she managed against all odds to swing open the door as they jerked sideways, and they were thrown in opposite directions onto the gravel. Gordon arrived moments later, and together they dragged Havoc towards the large iron gates, tying her tightly to them with Penny's belt and the tie she picked out for him for the party. Breathless, she leant against the gate as they stood there, and her large, deep blue eyes met Gordon's glowing hazel ones for a single moment, before she peered down awkwardly at her open comm. Snapping it shut, she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get her breath back, and felt Gordon's fingers interlocking with hers as he glanced cautiously at her.

"You're really okay?"

She nodded, a warm smile appearing on her face that was somehow completely different to the polite, quietly guarded one she wore in the company of almost anyone else. He smiled back with his trademark grin, and they stood there in the fading pastel light of the setting sun for a moment, Gordon brushing her hair behind her ear, her hand tightly squeezing his, when:

"GORDON!"

Lady Penelope's eyes suddenly widened in horror as she saw Havoc throw a grenade at them, and, without warning, she threw herself on top of Gordon in a desperate attempt to shield him from the blast. Shocked and disorientated, he waited a few moments before gingerly lifting his head as Havoc fled the scene with a sinister smirk. He could feel Penny lying limp on top of him, and gently lifted her onto the ground before kneeling at her side.

_No, no, no, please, NO-_

He felt for her pulse, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard her steady heartbeat. He cradled her injured wrist, which was visibly broken, and she stirred, groaning softly and staring up at him with large blue eyes.

"Penny…" He said nothing more, just stared down in shock at her, one hand brushing her bloodied hair from her eyes.

"Gordon?" her voice was hardly a whisper, her breathing jagged, and she propped herself up on her elbows, wincing. He helped her up, and she looked him over, her eyes scanning for injuries, although they both knew she was in far worse condition than he was.

"I'm fine." He assured her, placing her hand in his and gently bandaging her wrist. His usually smiling eyes were filled with concern, and he wiped away the blood on her lips as she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She started to walk away, but stopped abruptly as pain shot through her leg. He put an arm around her shoulders, and despite everything, she gave a grateful smile. They walked over to Colonel Casey, who frowned, seeing Lady Penelope limping towards her with Gordon as she came out of the GDF plane.

"I saw what just happened from the air. I wish I could've arrived earlier. Are you both alright?"

Before Gordon could stop her, Penny replied, "Fine, but Havoc got away." Gordon added with a concerned and uncharacteristically serious tone, "Actually, I'm fine, but Lady Penelope was injured. She- she saved my life." Gordon turned to Penny and gave her a look of gratitude and concern, and said, "Thanks, by the way." His expression relaxed into his usual sunny grin, and Penny's smile mirrored it perfectly. As Colonel Casey turned away, in an unexpected moment of desperate passion, Lady Penelope wrapped her arms around Gordon's neck and kissed him, and all of the smoke and the blood and tears seemed to evaporate in a fraction of a second; it was all forgotten for one beautiful, precious moment, all except each other and the gentle amber glow of the sunset.

She let go after a few moments, their expressions mimicking each other's, and she delicately wiped a drop of her blood off his face with her thumb, and their eyes locked as they walked hand in hand back into the building and down to the lounge, where Penelope had concealed a first aid kit in the wall. The party was over early, as was the danger, to the relief of both of them, and they talked long into the night. They relished every single moment, knowing how close they'd come to losing each other mere hours ago, and in fact so many times before. Their laughter echoed through the empty halls long after midnight, even when they eventually fell asleep on the sofa. When Parker walked in hours after, he smiled to himself at the sight of them, Penny's arms wrapped around Gordon in a gentle embrace, and he draped a blanket over them with a gentle good night before going to bed himself.


End file.
